Komamiki Week Shorts
by Miss Evil Muffins
Summary: A collect of short works from 2016 Komamiki Week. Thank you to all who have supported my SDR2 fics so far!
1. Lock and Key

"…Yukizome-sensei?"

Tsumiki nearly jumped out of her skin at the muffled sound coming from inside the classroom broom closet.

"It's- I'm Tsumiki! Sorry! I'm so sorry that I'm not sensei!"

A chuckle followed from the closet. "That's alright, just as long as someone's there. Hey, um, do you think you could get Sensei to get me out of here? You see, I was on my way back to the dorm, but then I remembered that I got a few drops of Dr. Hopper in my desk at lunch, so I wanted to grab something to wipe it up with and, well, here I am, locked in… Pretty bad luck, huh?"

"Oh um, I'm really sorry, but Yukizome-sensei went home already! I'm the only one left here!" Tsumiki's hands flew to her mouth. "Not to say that you aren't here as well! And…a person…also…"

"That's alright. I'm don't really count as a person anyway. Although, if you could get the keys from Sensei's desk, I'd really appreciate it. I'm mean, it's not as if I don't deserve to be kept in here, it's just that I'd…prefer to not be."

Tsumiki immediately scrambled for the desk, rummaging through the drawers, before reporting back. "It looks like…she took them with her. I'm so sorry!"

"Ah, that's okay," came the voice through the closet door. "At least you tried. …Say, you wouldn't have a phone on you to call her by any chance?"

"N-no… I don't have anyone to call, so I never asked my parents for one…"

"Hmm, same here. I mean, my parents aren't around any more to ask, but I don't think I'd really ever call anyone anyway…"

Komaeda blinked suddenly as Tsumiki held something up to the closet slats for him to see.

"A-actually, I don't think having a phone would help us much… Yukizome-sensei left her phone on her desk. I found it while I was looking for the keys… Eep!" Her words were followed by a squeak and a clattering noise.

"Um…Hello?"

Komaeda squinted through the slats. Apparently the phone must have began to vibrate as she was holding it, causing her to startle before picking it up. Was she always in the habit of answering other people's phones, he wondered.

 _"Yukizome?"_

"Er, no, this is one of her students… I-is this Yukizome-sensei's boyfriend?"

The voice on speaker phone cleared his throat. _"Can you put Yukizome on? A student shouldn't be answering their teacher's phone."_

"I-I'm so sorry! Really sorry, but I can't!" She was beginning to tear up now. "She left her phone here and went home!"

 _"In that case, I'll stop by and get it for her. I was on my way to her place anyway. "_

"Err, well… um…Is there anyway you could stop by her place first? You-you see, a student got locked in the broom closet and we need the key!"

 _"...We'll be right over."_ With a click, he had hung up.

The two students were silent for a time, before Tsumiki finally sank down to sit on the floor beside the closet.

"You know, you can go back to your dorm. You really don't have to wait with me," Komaeda offered.

"It's fine! I really didn't have anything else planned!"

"Alright, if you're sure. …By the way, what were you doing here so late yourself?"

"Well, um…I was organising supplies in the nurse's office. The smell of the rubbing alcohol, the feel of the cotton bandages…it helps to me relax sometimes."

"Hmm. Relaxing important and all, but are you sure that Saionji-san didn't bully you into taking on her turn for classroom clean up duty?"

Tsumiki's shoulders fell. "Yeah…"

"Next time, let me know and I'll stay back and help. It really is the only thing I'm good for."

"That's not true!" Tsumiki's words sounded louder than they were meant to in the nearly empty room. "You're good for… You're really good at…err…"

Komaeda let out a laugh. "That's alright. You'll see soon enough; everyone does."

Tsumiki frowned. "It's funny…Even though we're classmates, I don't think we've really spoken before now…"

"It's not funny at all, if you think about it. Excuse me if I'm wrong on this, but you didn't have a lot of friends growing up, did you?"

Tsumiki's shoulders sank even further to point where any lower and they would have hit the floor. "…No."

"I think that sometimes people get so used to not making friends that it becomes something of a habit. It's something like, you need to have friends before you can make them- kind of a vicious cycle, I guess. Not that I'm any better at it, of course."

"K-komaeda-san!" Tsumiki squealed. "Would you maybe like to um-"

Suddenly the classroom door burst open to the sound of jingling keys. "Fear not, my dear students! Your savior has arrived! Er, who is locked in there anyway?" Chisa asked.

"No one you need to concern yourself with," replied the voice inside the closet. "I really wasn't worth your rushing in here for."

Chisa elbowed Munakata in the side as he followed her into the room. "See? I told you we should have left them alone together a litte longer. I knew it must have been Komaeda-kun, what with his luck troubles and all."

She began to rummage through her apron pockets in search of the key.

"I can save you some time," Munakata offered, beginning to sound impatient as he slid a sword hilt from his sleeve.

"Kyosuke! You know I just only had the classroom repaired! The key's in here, it's just snagged on a thread."

Chisa began to yank at her pocket, until finally the offending fiber snapped, causing her elbow to jerk into Tsumiki who had just stood to move out of the way of the closet door.

The girl yelped as she fell forward, her face slamming into the very same door slats that Komaeda was currently pressed up against, attempting to peer out. Suddenly his view was replaced with that of Tsumiki's eyes nose…and lips, smushed up against his own, with only the thin wooden bars between them.

Tsumiki rubbed at her face as Komaeda was set free, both looking slightly pink, though for separate reasons.

After thanking and bidding goodbye to their teacher, Tsumiki turned to Komaeda. He remained patient as she opened and closed her mouth a handful of times before she finally managed to get some words out. "W-would you mind studying with me tonight? I mean, if it's not too much of a burden…and you're not busy…"

"Tsumiki-san, I would be honored to. You know, maybe today is my lucky day after all."

 _End_


	2. Under Observation

"Thank you for letting me study with you, Tsumiki-san," Komaeda smiled pleasantly from the nurse's office bed where he was seated, as he watched Tsumiki hard at work.

"Oh, no! It's no problem!" the nurse re-assured, nearly dropping the glass bottle she held. "But…if you're interested in medicine, you could have studied with Kimura-senpai instead…"

"But you're head of the school Health Care Committee! That's pretty amazing. I mean, Kimura-senpai is impressive as well, but she's only a just regular member. Besides that, she hardly ever attends your meetings; she's so busy hanging out with Andou-senpai and Izayoi-senpai…"

Tsumiki considered asking him how he knew so much- he always did, about everyone at Hope's Peak- but she held her tongue. "D-do you…um, think that you learned anything yet? From observing me, I mean…N-not that I'm very interesting to watch… Ooh! I could do a dance while pretending to be a duck! T-they used to think that one was pretty funny at my old school…"

That morning, Yukizome-sensei had announced to her class that it was 'Student Observation Week'. Each morning, half the class was to choose a field of study from a hat (Souda's, in this case. The scraps of paper all wound up a touch more sweaty than one may have liked). Whoever they were assigned to, they would shadow for the day, observing them preform their talent, with the purpose of fostering more well-rounded students.

Komaeda thought for a moment. "Well…I've learned that you stutter, that you play with your hair when you're thinking or upset…and that the band-aid on the face has come loose."

Tsumiki began patting at her cheek, attempting to reattach the offending bandage. "I mean! I mean…Did you learn anything about nursing. Sorry I wasn't clear!"

"I'm afraid that it's pretty hard to teach trash like me anything," He laughed. "Hey, do you think you have something more hands-on I could try?"

Finally, the band-aid fluttered off her cheek. "You could learn to treat small wounds! …If that's okay with you…"

Komaeda smiled, standing from the cot. "That sounds perfect."

Tsumiki handed him a box of band-aids, along with a tube of ointment, before sitting back down on the rolling stool.

Komaeda half-listened as she walked him through ridiculously simple steps. In truth, it was nothing he didn't already know. Having to care for himself at such a young age, he certainly knew how to treat his own bumps and bruises. Instead, he attention lay on the peach flesh of her cheek, the area he was meant to 'treat'. The skin there was…completely unmarred. Unlike Koizumi's or Kuzuryuu's, her fair skin was completely free of freckling, however, it was also free of any cuts or scrapes.

It took until she jerked back before he realised that he had ran his finger over the soft skin where the band-aid had been while lost in thought.

Her face was turned away from him now, worry, or fear in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Tsumiki-san. Please let me try again."

Tsumiki slowly nodded, taking a deep breath, turning her face toward him once more.

He gently placed the band-aid onto her skin, rubbing the edges smooth.

Once finished, her gathered up his school bag to leave.

"Thank you, Tsumiki-san. I learned a lot today."

* * *

"Out of my way, Rotten Mikan!" Saionji sneered as Tsumiki attempted to enter the classroom.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I'll move!" the other girl squealed.

"Nuh-uh. Walk backwards! Maybe that way you can go back in time and become less rotten!"

"Y-yes! …Ooph!" The air was knocked out of her as she backed into Komaeda who had entered behind her.

"Saionji-san, I didn't know you knew so much about time-travel! Maybe I should partner with you for today!" He said, holding Tsumiki by the shoulders to steady her. As he did so, however, he noticed that the band-aid on her cheek had fluttered away once more during their collision.

Quickly, he turned her away from Saionji. "Hey, how about you show me how to apply actual bandages today, now that I have band-aids down?"

He led her from the room, stopping in the hall.

She stared at him in confusion until finally he tapped at his own cheek.

"Oh!" She squeaked, quickly fumbling in the outside pouch of her bag for a band-aid.

"Here you go," Komaeda said, pulling one from his pocket, and beginning to unwrap it. "Now that I've been taught how to use one by such a master, I carry one where ever I go!"

Tsumiki squinted her eyes shut as he applied it, gently, although his fingers lingered for a moment at the feel of plastic covering skin.

He wasn't quite sure why she chose to wear a band-aid over uninjured skin, or even if the bandage on her leg truly covered anything or not. All that he did know was that she trusted him to know about her lack of injury, and that he wanted to help her keep her to keep it private whether he knew the reason or not. Besides, there were still a few more days left to the week-long event. Who knew who his luck would grant him the chance to observe for the next few days...

 _End_


	3. The Way to a Man's Heart

"Y-you should be taking better care of yourself!" Tsumiki said earnestly, "You should really try to eat something!"

"Ah, Tsumiki-san," Komaeda chuckled weakly. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Although he had never been a very big eater ever since the death of his parents- sometimes skipping meals, or simply just forgetting- even Komaeda was beginning to feel the hollow pain in his stomach after days without food.

He continued, as Tsumiki took the second seat on the swingset, "Monokuma isn't letting us have any food until there's another murder and trial, I'm afraid."

"Oh no! That's terrible! I'm so sorry…"

"And how about yourself? Are you feeling alright?" Komaeda gave himself a half-hearted push on the swing before digging his heels into the ground to stop it.

"Oh, Um, I guess so... I'm not really sure. This...this is all new to me."

A few moments passed, both students sitting still on the swing set.

"Y-you're not mad at me, are you? You've forgiven me, right?" Tsumiki asked suddenly, anxious, the chain holding her swing seat rattling slightly.

"To be honest, I haven't had much time to think about it since then. I suppose there's a point in hunger where one makes it past the angry stage, and goes back around to being apathetic. I am thankful for how well you treated me at the hospital at the very least, even if I can't remember much of it."

"I see… I'm sorry that I can't do anything for your stomach like this…"

"What would you do for me any way? Put me on an IV? I had enough of that before we came to island. To be honest, I think I'd rather starve to death at this point."

"Actually, it would be a through a tube up your nose." Tsumiki stuck her pointer and middle fingers up into her nostrils, effectively making a pig snout.

Komaeda's laugh carried considerably more mirth this time.

"Komaeda!" Hinata shouted as he passed by the strawberry patterned playground. "Who are you talking to?"

"And here I thought he'd scold me for playing on the swings…" Komaeda mumbled to the empty seat beside him.

* * *

Things were certainly more quiet without her around, Komaeda thought to himself as he lay on the bed in his room.

Out of all the people to hallucinate…why not Togami? They could all use a good leader right now. Why not Mioda? Her music and antics would certainly be a welcome distraction. Try as he might, he could hardly recall their faces in his state, only the girl with the expressive eyebrows, the striking beauty mark, the gentle lips turned downward from worry...

"Um…Is this a bad time?"

He rolled over to see Tsumiki standing in the corner, fidgeting with her hair. She seemed to be afraid to touch anything in the deluxe room. Thinking about it, he probably should have surrendered the room to one of the other boys who might have deserved it more; he wasn't entirely sure why he had held onto it, hunger making his head too muzzy at the moment to bother recalling.

"This is the boy's side," Komaeda replied. "Are you sure you don't want to talk with Sonia-san or Nanami-san in the Muscat House?"

"M-maybe they are. You're only imagining me, after all, so they could be too. Though... I really can't believe that anyone would want to imagine me, of all people…. I-I wish I could get you something to eat. Then you wouldn't have to waste your time with me like this…"

"It's fine. I said some awful things to you during your trial. I kind of brought this upon myself. Ugh…"

His stomach made another horrible grabbing sensation as he sat up.

"I…can't imagine that I would taste any good…probably like a rotten orange… but you can try to eat me, if you'd like…. If it would help…" She held out a quivering arm.

He struggled to stand as the girl slipped in and out of his vision.

She continued, "It's the least I can do to make things up to you… For falling into Despair… For what I said to you… If I can make you forgive me…"

Komaeda approached her, legs feeling as if they were stuck in that invisible molasses-like stuff that forced you to move sluggish in dreams.

He was so terribly hungry. A little voice at the back of his head told him that he should say something, reassure her, tell her how, for whatever nonsensical reason, he had missed her.

Instead, he took her shaking arm into his hands. She winced, scrunching up her eyes as he parted his lips above her flesh.

A gentle brush of dry lips, a soft scrape of teeth.

Her eyes were open now, wide and wondering.

"A sweet orange," he muttered, before the pain in his own arm set in, making him momentarily forget about his stomach.

There was blood, and teeth marks on his own wrist, a taste of salty tang in his mouth.

When he looked up, the girl was gone.

There was no one to treat the pain.

 _End_


	4. Sleep the World Away

"Ten minutes until the next murder…" Tsumiki sighed, looking at the band on her wrist.

"You're taking this surprisingly well," Komaeda replied.

"Well…you've booby-trapped the door," She said, hugging her legs to her chest, "and you told me your NG Code already, so…"

"Would you still trust me even if I hadn't told you?"

"T-the Future Foundation trusted you enough to send you here… and so much has changed since the simulation. So, yes… yes, I trust you too!" She blurted out, earnestly as she could.

"I'm glad to hear it," he said with a smile, resting the back of his head against the wall. "In that case, would you mind telling me your NG Code? I'd hate to do something that might hurt you. I mean, what if it were something like 'Listen to a worthless man rattle on about Hope'?"

"It's…I'm not allowed to cry…" She stated miserably, burying her face into her knees.

"Ohhhh! So that's why you're holding it together so well."

Komaeda could have sworn that he heard the beginnings of a sniffle coming from beside him.

"Oh no, I didn't mean to make you cry!" he fretted, waving his hands, "Hey, look, you know that I'm forbidden from lying, right?"

The girl gave a silent nod, raising her head from her knees.

"Then, you know that when I tell you that I'm happy it's you that I'm stuck in here with, I'm telling the truth. I mean, my life is pretty worthless and all, but I'd rather not die right now if I could help it-"

"Don't say that!" Tsumiki squealed. "If you say things that aren't true, y-you'll die! 'You're worthless'- That's not true at all!"

Komaeda laughed. "If you say so. Although, I'm not bleeding from my eyeballs right now, so clearly, I'm not entirely wrong."

"There's a difference, though, between simply being mistaken, and out-right lying... T-that's what I think, at least." Tsumiki said, shifting to sit on her legs.

"That's fair enough, I suppose."

A few moments passed in relative silence, as their timers continued to count down the minutes. Tsumiki began to wonder how the other Future Foundation members were fairing- if any of them had found a safe place as well, or if it were only Komaeda's luck that had led the two into the little office they huddled in now. There was no one banging their door down, at any rate, though goodness knew that Munakata- among others- was displeased, to say the very least, about two Remnants of Despair being allowed to join the Foundation.

Even if Komaeda didn't have his luck, Tsumiki thought to herself, she couldn't think of anyone she would rather fall asleep next to in the next few minutes.

She reached out her hand, hesitantly, pulling it back just a bit, before finally allowing it rest on top of Komaeda's good hand.

The boy looked to her, eyes wide, before he returned the gesture, wrapping his fingers around her's with a little squeeze.

"You don't still think you're going to cry, do you? I could tell you a story to keep your mind off it. It might be kind of boring, coming from me, but-"

Tsumiki shook her head, holding up her other wrist to show him the band.

There was one minute remaining.

"Good night, Tsumiki-san"

"...Good night."

 _End_


End file.
